Oborniki Wielkopolskie 2024-08-06

Long-distance railways in Poland.

In the last period, PKP InterCity launched an average of 417 long-distance trains per day, while 454 long-distance trains ran during the holiday season. During the 2024 holiday season, PKP InterCity increased the number of services by as many as 31 more pairs of trains than during the 2023 holiday season. The carrier offered a journey between Warsaw and Gdansk in 2 hours 25 minutes and between Warsaw and Szczecin in under 5 hours. Additional trains were launched to Krakow and Zakopane. There were, for example, trains: EIC 1850/8150 ‘Posejdon’ on the Warsaw – Kołobrzeg – Warsaw route, EIC 1540/5140 ‘Jantar’ on the Warsaw – Hel – Warsaw route, TLK 38174/83174 ‘Wolin’ on the Kraków/Bielsko Biała – Świnoujście – Kraków/Bielsko Biała route, IC 18154/81154 ‘Lazur’ Łódź – Ustka – Łódź route. Some relations were extended. Many trains received additional carriages, and some trains were put together from newly modernised carriages. The summer timetable was effective from 9 June 2024, until 31 August 2024.

The PKP InterCity.

PKP InterCity is a Polish rail carrier that belongs to the PKP group. The company transports passengers on long-distance routes. In Poland, the carrier has a share of 15 per cent in passenger transport in terms of passenger numbers, but 58.8 per cent in transport measured on a passenger – kilometre basis. In 2023, the company served 15.2 billion passenger – kilometres.

The company was founded on 30 August 2001 with 1,500 employees. Currently (2022), the company has 8,322 employees. The company transports passengers under the Express Intercity and Express Intercity Premium brands. Under the first brand it uses electric and diesel locomotives with classic cars and EMUs. Under the Express Intercity Premium brand, it uses 20 ED250 Pendolino EZT trainsets.

The initial competitor was Przewozy Regionalne, which in 2008, handed over its fast trains to InterCity. At that time, some of the rolling stock and employees were transferred to InterCity. With the introduction of the ED250 Pendolino EMU trains, the company started to make a profit. Pendolino trains are serviced at Warsaw Grochów station.

In December 2014, after years of testing, a category of long-distance InterCity trains was created. These trains were strengthened with new purchases. The EZT Flirt and EZT Dart were purchased, with a travelling speed of 160 km/h. In August 2019, a further 12 EZT Flirt 8-car units were ordered from Stadler. Electric locomotives were overhauled and modernised, some of which were adapted to a travelling speed of 160 km/h. A number of ‘Y’ series coaches underwent major overhauls and modernisation. Renovations also involved restaurant and bar cars. The company also owns sleeping and reclining coaches. Since 2010, postal wagons have no longer been used in Poland.

Currently (2024), PKP InterCity has 265 carriages that can travel at 200 km/h. At present (2024), PKP InterCity uses 51 types of carriages, which differ, among other things, in the number of seats (54, 66, 72, 88 seats), their location (compartmental, non-compartmental, eight- or six-seater) or the type of seat (seating carriage, sleeping carriage, couchette). At the beginning of February 2024, the company announced the contractor for the purchase of 300 new carriages, with an option right for an additional 150 units, which was the H. Cegielski factory – Fabryka Pojazdów Szynowych.

Initially, InterCity did not have its own locomotives, as they were all handed over to PKP Cargo. This proved to be a poor solution. Therefore, the company gradually acquired new or modernised electric and diesel locomotives. In 2008, the company bought 10 electric multisystem Eurosprinter ES64U4 Taurus locomotives to operate international trains.

In 2009, the InterCity company had locomotives: 1 unit EP05, 157 units EP07, 169 units EU07, 9 units EP08, 47 units EP09, 50 units SM42 (SP42), 19 units SU45. In 2014, 10 units of SU160 Gama diesel locomotives and 20 units of SM42-1000 NEWAG were purchased. In 2020, Olkol refurbished 23 electric locomotives to the EU07A standard. Among other things, the electric motors were replaced with asynchronous motors. The speed of the locomotives was increased from 125 km/h to 160 km/h. In 2021, InterCity had electric locomotives: 1 EP05 (160 km/h speed), 227 EU07, EP07 (125 km/h speed), 1 EP05 (160 km/h speed), 23 EU07A (160 km/h speed), 9 EP08 (140 km/h speed), 46 EP09 (160 km/h speed), 10 EU44 Husarz (230 km/h speed), 30 EU160 Griffin (160 km/h speed). 10 NEWAG E4MSUa multisystem locomotives with a maximum speed of 200 km/h were ordered for international trains.

In 2024, PKP InterCity has 557 locomotives, including 412 electric locomotives and 145 diesel locomotives. Most of the diesel locomotives are used for shunting work, but locomotives of type SU4210 (10 units) are used in long-distance traffic. Similarly, locomotives of type SU4220 (2 units) and locomotives SU160 (10 units) are used for long-distance service. As of 2021, InterCity has the following diesel locomotives: 17 SM42 locomotives (6D), at 90 km/h, 10 SM42 locomotives (18D), at 90 km/h, 17 SM42 locomotives (6D), at 90 km/h, 10 SU42-1000 locomotives (6DI), at 90 km/h, 10 SU160 Gama locomotives (111Db), at 140 km/h. 10 SM42-2000 locomotives (6D-FPS), with a speed of 90 km/h, have been ordered. Of these locomotives, the SU160 Gama are the best, replacing the HCP SU45 locomotives with dignity, as well as the SU42-1000 locomotives, which are well suited to short passenger trainsets. Nevertheless, for the holiday period the company borrows locomotives from PKP Cargo, which hauls less freight during the summer. 

In 2021, InterCity’s fleet of EMUs included: 20 ED250 Pendolino trainsets, 7-cars, with a maximum speed of 250 km/h, 32 ED160 Flirt trainsets, 8-cars, with a maximum speed of 160 km/h, 20 ED161 Dart trainsets, 8-cars, with a maximum speed of 160 km/h. InterCity also stocks 4 ED74 Bydgostia trainsets, 4-wagons, which for various reasons did not enter permanent service. They have now been rebuilt and in 2022, entered service. These trainsets are popularly known as ‘EDYTA’.

In 2010, InterCity had 3,131 wagons. By 2015, the company had modernised 218 wagons. The renovations were carried out by Polish companies: HCP (FPS – Fabryka Pojazdów Szynowych), Pesa Bydgoszcz, Newag Nowy Sącz and ZNTK “Mińsk Mazowiecki”. By 2015, 54 new railcars had been purchased. Between 2016 and 2018, a further 176 wagons of the series were refurbished: 111A, 141A, 144A, 145A. In 2018, InterCity ordered 81 new carriages from the Rail Vehicle Factory (HCP). In April 2018, InterCity further ordered the refurbishment of 70 wagons of types 111A, 112A and 140A. In 2019, a contract was signed to refurbish a further 10 Type 145Ab carriages to restaurant car standard. By 2024, the company had around 3,100 carriages. The largest number was of 2nd Class coaches; 1,305 units. In 2021, the company had 1,111 air-conditioned wagons. In 2024, PKP InterCity signed an order for multi-purpose COMBO coaches. As part of a periodic repair along with modernisation, 50 Type 112A coaches will be converted into multi-purpose coaches. The contractor for the contract is H. Cegielski – Fabryka Pojazdów Szynowych Sp.

PKP InterCity, Poland’s largest rail operator and undisputed monopolist, has recorded a significant increase in net profit in 2023, reaching PLN 90.7 million. This is a significant increase compared to the PLN 52.5 million profit in 2022. On PKP InterCity trains, attendance remains high after more than 68 million passengers used the carrier’s services in 2023. Thus, the company beat the record set in 2022, when 59 million people travelled on PKP InterCity trains. The results for the first three months of 2024, show that a new passenger carriage record may be set this year. In total, the company carried 16.5 million passengers in the first quarter, an increase of nearly 20%. In the corresponding period of 2023, 13.8 million people boarded the carrier’s trains. In March 2024 alone, 5.7 million travellers were carried. Such good transport results allow us to aim for 70 million passengers carried by PKP InterCity in 2024.

The InterCity train 48150 / 84150 “Gwarek” Katowice – Ustka.

InterCity train 48150 / 84150 “Gwarek” is a passenger train of the carrier PKP InterCity, which runs on the route Katowice – Słupsk, and in the holiday season its relation is extended to Ustka. The distance is 681 km. Travel time 9 hours 7 minutes to Ustka and 9 hours 21 minutes to Katowice.

From Katowice the train departs at 05;10. Chorzów Batory at 05;16. Zabrze at 05;27. Gliwice at 05;35. Pyskowice at 05;49. Strzelce Opolskie at 06;06. Opole Główne at 06;30. Brzeg at 06;58. Oława at 07;08. Wrocław Główny at 07;29. Wrocław Mikołajów at 07;44. Oborniki Śląskie at 07;58. Żmigród at 08;12. Rawicz at 08;23. Leszno: 08;43. Kościan: 08;59. Poznań Główny: 09;26. Oborniki Wielkopolskie Miasto: 10;05. Rogóżno Wielkopolskie: 10;23. Chodzież: 10;42. Piła Główna: 11;00. Jastrowie: 11;25. Szczecinek: 11;59. Białogard: 12;51. Koszalin: 13;13. Sławno: 13;39. Słupsk: 13;57. Ustka: 14;17.

From Ustka the train departs at 13;35. Słupa at 13;56. Sławno at 14;26. Koszalin at 14;54. Białogard at 15;14. Szczecinek at 16;21. Jastrowie at 16;49. Piła Główna at 17;16. Chodzież at 17;33. Rogóżno Wielkopolskie at 17;50. Oborniki Wielkopolskie Miasto at 18;05. Poznań Główny at 18;32. Kościan at 19;02. Leszno City hour 19;19. Rawicz hour 19;38. Żmigród hour 19;49. Oborniki Śląskie hour 20;03. Wrocław Mikołajów hour 20;18. Wrocław Główny hour 20;25. Oława hour 20;53. Brzeg hour 21;03. Opole Główne hour 21;30. Strzelce Opolskie hour 21;54. Pyskowice hour 22;12. Gliwice hour 22;28. Zabrze hour 22;38. Chorzów Batory hour 22;49. Katowice hour 22;56.

On holiday 2024, InterCity train 48150 / 84150 “Gwarek” consisted of 7 carriages. There was no restaurant or bar car in the line-up. All carriages had automatic, bump-and-slide doors. At the head of the consist was the electric locomotive EP07.

1 Wagon Class 1 car with the designation A9nouz / 140A-z. It is a compartment carriage, 9-compartments with 6 seats each. It has two toilets in a closed system. The car has 230 V sockets, passenger information system, monitoring, air conditioning. Blue entrance door.

2 Wagon Class 2 carriage with the designation B11mnouz / 170A. It is a compartment carriage, 11-compartments with 6 seats each. It has two toilets in a closed system. The carriage has 230 V sockets, passenger information system, monitoring, air conditioning. Entrance doors light grey.

3 Wagon Class 2 carriage with the designation B7nopuvz / 168A. This is a compartmentless carriage with the possibility of carrying bicycles. The bicycle spaces have anti-theft protection. It has 66 seats and a centre aisle. The carriage has 230 V sockets, passenger information system, monitoring, air conditioning. Blue entrance door.

4 Wagon same as 3 Wagon.

5 Wagon Class 2 wagon with the designation B9nopuz / 111A-20MM. This is a compartmentless carriage. It has 72 seats and a centre aisle. The wagon has 230 V sockets, passenger information system, monitoring, air conditioning, Wi-Fi. It has two toilets in a closed system. Light grey entrance doors.

6 Wagon same as 5 Wagon.

7 Wagon same as 1 Wagon.

Written by Karol Placha Hetman